Rocket attacks hit south Thailand (Religion of Peace)

Reuters ^ | 5.3.04

[ambrose]

Rocket attacks hit south Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- Suspected Islamic militants in southern Thailand fired three rounds of M-79 rockets into a Thai security post near the Malaysian border, police in southern Yala province said on Monday.

No one was injured in the Sunday night attack, but a policeman was wounded when suspected militants ambushed his patrol as it pursued the attackers.

About the same time, another group of people torched a remote local government office in Yala Province, causing substantial damage to the building, police said.

The incidents follow last Wednesday's uprising in three southern Thai provinces that stunned the predominantly Buddhist country, unsettled Thai financial markets and strained ties with neighboring Malaysia.

More than 100 machete-wielding, suspected Muslim militants were shot dead during pre-dawn attacks on heavily armed security posts aimed at seizing weapons. Three policemen and two soldiers were also killed.

[Voice in your head]

The M-79 is an old school grenade launcher.

But, this is good news. If they are fighting, then they are identifying themselves, so they can be killed.

[Killborn]

This is an interesting development.

The Islamic Terror movement in Thailand originated when Thailand annexed the Pattani region, considered a province of Malaysia. The majority of their operations are minor skirmishes that are regarded more as a nuisance than a threat. In the 20th century, they made headlines when they left an abandoned van packed with explosives at a Park in Bangkok. Fortunately, the police defused it. Then they went back to skirmishes. Now, for some reason, they have stepped up operations that are considered serious enough that the police took drastic actions, like raiding the mosque.

The question is, what made them more aggressive?